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Monday, July 27, 2009

Managing Tevis stress

My living room is exactly the size of a 3 person dome tent. "How do you know that?", you say.

I will go on to tell you that not only is my living room the size of some minuscule, over-crowded camping spot, my bedroom floor (bed and dresser not withstanding) is the approximate size of a one person bivy, don't lean over the new camp stove when turning it on (even if you are trying to see the tiny ignition switch - you risk singing your eyebrows off), and above all - if you do insist on making your apartment into a back country campsite, at least have the decency to leave the blinds open - it will give your neighbors something to talk about besides the fact that there seems to be more than the number of allowed cats in that apartment......

The way I deal with stress (apart from sleeping and running) is to imagine getting away from it all. This usually comes in the form of an extended weekend trail ride. Since Farley and I are going to need a break after Tevis, I want to go backpacking - 1 or 2 nights. This form of stress relief doesn't work if I don't have the gear to actually do it....so I figured that it was worth whatever amount of money it took to make it possible for me to go backpacking.

Over the years I've accumulated some gear, but needed to finish up my kit. On my way home from a civil war thingy yesterday, I stopped into Bass Pro (REI would have been fun, but was HOURS out of my way) and bought the remaining items I needed. A LOT of money later and I have a backpack of gear just waiting for me. Even if I use it rarely - every penny is worth the stress relief just having it sit there.

So this is sad - but 1 month ago I looked at the full moon and thought (with excitment) - "there's my moon!" I haven't looked at it since. :( Too stressed, too tired, too much looking down instead of looking upward and forward. Too much looking back at my past....Onward (and upward)!

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Welcome to the Boots and Saddles blog. "Boots and saddles" describes a horse of(f) course - my experiences in the endurance world, as a veterinary student, and as a life long student of the horse. This blog is part of a larger endurance information site, which promotes renegade hoof boots and education for riders in their first 1000 endurance miles. I hope that you are entertained, informed, and inspired.

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Honoring perceptive reader's outstanding comments:

Funder: I swear, endurance is the sport of tying as much random crap on a dirty horse as possible, then riding til you chafe your thighs raw.
Elizabeth Funderburk: You're not tough just because you can destroy your body faster than everybody else around you. That is a ridiculously difficult thing for me to remember...You can be plenty tough without being dumb...
Bethany Faubel: Funder's right: being tough doesn't mean being damaged before you have a chance at senility. Otherwise, we would be calling all professional boxer/wrestlers not only tough but intelligent as well...
Sharlene, verbally
"Endurance is a series of small disasters, interspersed with larger disasters. The sport of endurance is your ability to solve and learn and prevent them. (and enjoy the process)"

AareneX on 2010 Goals:
"I will not be discouraged by setbacks in 2010, but will use them as training opportunities for successes in the future."

JB on Revelation 7"More then just bruised ego's are at stake in endurance, as the horses whole life and well being is on the line".